Just An Echo
by crumpledquillx
Summary: One-Shot. Adelle can never be with Echo, no matter how hard she tries. Femslash. Femmeslash. Adelle/Echo.


Just An Echo

Today she was Tina, a high class socialite with a taste for women. It was how Adelle had wanted this engagement, never the same as the last or the one before. Last time she'd been Abigail, an artist trying to impress a dealer. The time before it was Mary, a waitress she met at a bar. Before that there was Louise and Hannah and Jessica – too many names to count, too many personalities. Adelle was never satisfied, never quite brought from feeling alone, because these people were never Echo. They never would be. They never could be.

"What's the matter baby?" Tina whispered with Echo's voice, "You seem distracted."

Adelle shivered at her touch. Soft fingers brushed her hair behind her ear, fingers of a murderer or assassin or even a loving wife.

"Come on – tell me," she continued, kneeling down before Adelle a playful smirk on her face. That was who Tina was, a player – not Echo.

"Nothing," Adelle replied in a nonplussed tone, "I'll be alright."

She took another drink of her whiskey, savouring the after burn as it went down her throat. How could she possibly tell Echo – Tina – how she was feeling? Even if her mind was to be wiped after, she could not compromise the situation. She was the Dollhouse's mysterious customer after all.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" Adelle carried on, her tone more detached and businesslike. Tina didn't seem to mind at all. In fact Tina seemed to like how Adelle took control, crushing her lips against her own.

Adelle wondered if Echo would have liked that.

She doubted it.

"Come on baby – don't leave me hanging here," Tina had sighed as Adelle froze. She moved up to straddle the woman on the sofa, her thighs pinning her there, "Come on, I know you want it."

She closed her eyes as Tina kissed her neck. She imagined Echo's lips instead, and Echo's hands unbuttoning her blouse. But it just wasn't—

"I'm sorry Tina I can't tonight."

She pushed her away, letting the doll look up at her bewildered and confused. She didn't look back, she couldn't – it wasn't enough.

"Please?"

The voice that spoke to her sounded much less confident, much more frail and scared – much more like Echo. It caused Adelle to turn around, take one last look.

"You're not her," she admitted, more to herself than to Tina, "And you never will be."

The active sat up straight, shaking her head. Nothing like this had happened before, others had been sent to the attic for less. Yet Adelle had sworn that it was Echo looking at her from behind those eyes.

"Let me be my best."

Adelle shut her eyes, when she looked back up Tina was standing closer, her hand reaching for her own.

"What did you just say?"

"I said we should just do this. Both of us pretend that the other is who we want them to be. You can't get any blunter than that."

Tina was talking now, and Adelle let her. In fact this time Adelle didn't hold back when Tina kissed her.

She pushed her back onto the couch, shedding her own blouse and this time it was her fingers unbuttoning Tina's top.

"Hello Mr Langton, how is Echo?" Adelle stopped the active and her handler at the top of the stairs. It had been some months since her last engagement with her, the last being Tina.

"I'm not my best," Echo spoke up, as confused as both Adelle and her handler looked.

"And why is that?"

"Because I never made you happy – I'm not my best if I can't make you happy."

Adelle swallowed back the lump that had risen in her throat, and urgently covered her shock.

"If I could – have a word with Echo?"

Her handler nodded, Adelle ushering her to one side.

"Did I do something wrong? Was I not my best again?"

"No – no Echo," Adelle whispered, smiling sadly.

"Then why do you look sad – you always look sad."

"Echo – listen to me, whatever it is you remember don't tell anyone."

"Why?" Echo asked, glancing over her shoulder toward her handler, "They could help me be my best."

"But you are your best."

"I am?" Echo asked with a sense of urgency, her face lighting up. It caused a knot to form in Adelle's chest.

"Yes," she smiled back, as covertly as possible.

"Next time – you will smile," Echo stated matter-of-factly, she even gave a nod to confirm it. Adelle didn't have the heart to say that there wouldn't be a next time – as of yet.

"Mr Langton," she called, "I think you had better take Echo for her treatment."

She could see the hurt in Echo's eyes because of her. There was nothing she could do about it.

"Come along Echo," her handler spoke quietly, Echo forced to submit.

"What is this?"

Out of them all it had been Topher to find out. In a way it was luck and in another prediction.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she dismissed automatically.

"Miss Lonelyhearts – you Adelle, you're the mysterious client that's been asking for Echo each time."

She didn't deny it, and he didn't press it.

"Do you love her?"

He'd hit the nail on the head, they both knew it. But Adelle had to deny it of course,

"You're delusional Topher – too much time thinking."

"She remembers you."

Deflated and defeated Adelle caved in,

"And what will you do about it? Tell Rossum? Report me?"

She hadn't expected this reaction, let alone for anyone to find out.

"You may be my 'boss' Adelle, but you're my friend. Just tell me next time, I could make a few modifications."

"There won't be a next time," she spoke, eyebrow raised.

Eying her 'friend' Adelle turned on her heel.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," she sighed, her back to the Topher and his lab, "They're all just Echoes in the end."

Topher watched her shut the door,

"That's where you're wrong 'friend'."


End file.
